Box



2 Sheets-Sheet A. H. DREUX ET AL BOX Filed Oct. 8,- 1956 Aug. 20, 1940.

1 Zuid/0...

Patented Aug. 20, 1940 UNITEDV STATESA PirrENT OFFICE l BOX AlexanderIl. Dreux, Orchard Park, and Joseph N. Royal, Buffalo, N.l Y.,assignors, by mesne assignments, to F. N. Burt Company Inc., Buffalo, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Application october c, 1936, serial No.104,674 In Canada. November 14, 1935 3 Claims.

by which discharge of powder" from the box is confined to the regulardischarge opening of the box, its egress or sifting thereof from the boxthrough the box joints being greatly minimized or entirely prevented. v-.r

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improvedpractical and eiiicient conl struction of the box` parts which lendsitself to the rapid production by automatic machinery of siftless powderboxes.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a simpleand efficient construction of powder container drum which due to itsimproved features is highly promotive of the production of a siftlessbox and which may readily and easily be inserted in place in telescopicrelation in the base, notwithstanding variations of the relativediameters between the drum and the interiitting base, which are normallyencountered under diierent conditions of manufacture, such as, diierentdegrees of moisture in the stock, different quality and thickness ofstock, e.c. l

It is a further object to provide an improved means of overcoming themanufacturing difculties normally met inthe inherent variation in thesize, or more specifically the diameter of the container partsmanufactured on high-speed production machines with particular regard tothose parts that-must fit within each other in the assembly of thecomplete parts.

It is a further object to provide a means of avoiding failure'and otherdiiliculties in the assembly of container parts due to the variation infinished part size, which is occasioned by variations in the thicknessof the several plies of. stock used in making the parts of a round,square, rectangulanor multi-sided box or container.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relationand order of one or more of such steps with respect to each of theothers, and the article possessing the features, properties, andtherelation of elements, which are exemplified in the following detaileddisclosure, and the scope of the application of which will be indicatedin the' claims. l

- For'a more comprehensive understanding oi the nature and objects ofthe invention reference should be had to the following detaileddescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 4is a perspectivevi'ew, partly sectional, of a powder boxwith'its cover-and illustrating one of the preferred embodiments of theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a centralrvertical section through the box of Fig. 1; l

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of a portion of the box, the'dotted lines illustrating the' drum before being seated in position inthe base ofthe box;

Fig. 4 is a view of the base, the cover and drum, each in perspectiveand in separated .relati'om Fig. 5 is a partially diagrammatic plan;view illustrating a ring made of a coiled strip of paper or similarmaterial and which may be utilized either in the base or in the drum,the strip being shown as thicker than that which may normally beemployed;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary Vertical radial section of a box inaccordance with the embodiment'of Fig. 1;

Figs. 7 and 8 are fragmentary sectional perspective views showing thearrangement of the caulking bead;

Figs. 9 and' 10 are fragmentary perspective` views of two forms of thefibrous caulking string employed;

Figs. 11, 12, 13, 14, and v16 are fragmentary sectional views similar toFigs. 3 and 6 but showing` further modified embodiments of theinvention. i

Referring now more specifically to the .drawings, and first to theembodiment of Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the base of the box is indicatedat A, the cover` or top at B and the drum at C'. The base has a head Iand an upstanding ange or ring 2. Similarly, the cover B hasa head 3,and a depending flange or ring 4 and the 'head 3' may be domed asillustrated. 'I'he drum C provides a container for reception of powderand has a flange or ring 5and an overlying head 6. The head 6 may bereadily frangible and made of cellulosic transparent sheet material, orof other sheet materials, as a light weight or tissue paper. Asuiciently large sheetis selected and its margin or edge is folded ontothe outside face of the drum-ring or flange 5, the fold being secured byan overlying strip of thin cover paper 'l extending continuously aroundthe drum ring 5 and pasted to' said ring. The cover strip not onlysecures the fold of the drum head B; it also covers any small wrinklesin the fold and provides a relatively smooth. unwrinkled outer side faceof the drum flange or ring 5. For convenience of the powder maker, thebase A, cover B and drum Cv are provided as separate units. The drum Cis open at its end opposite or remote from the head 6, and the powdermaker places it with its open end up so it may easily be filled with thepowder. Thereupon after nlling, the drum may be inserted in the invertedbase A, as shown in Fig. 3, the flange or ring 2 becoming an outer ringand the flange or ring 5,

becoming an inner ring. AFor finishing the base flange 2, and securingit to the head I, a thin strip 8 of ornamental paper or other materialmay be wound 'onto the flange 2 and will be folded over the open edge ofthis flange and around onto the head l, and adhesively secured insideand outside the base A. In like manner a finishing strip 9 may be aihxedto the cover B, and entirely over the head 3.

The present invention is of advantage in hand made boxes inasmuch asamong other factors. it promotes quick assembly of the parts and themaking of a non-sifting toilet powder box, but it possesses veryimportant advantages when utilized in paper boxesl the parts of whichare made by automatic machinery operating at high speed. One of the mostimportant objects sought for in a powder box is that it shall besiftless," meaning that the powdered contents shall be retained in thebox and not sift out through its joints. As tending to avoid sifting,vthe diameters of the drum flange 5 and the base flange 2 haveheretofore been of relative size to obtain as tight a flt as possibleconsistent with the requirement that one must be inserted quickly andeasily in the other in telescopic relation. The result has been that inmany cases the insertion may not be effected at all or only with thegreatest care, thus leading to great loss of time and waste ofmaterials, and increasing production costs and slowing down output.

Dependence upon the it of the drum flange and the base flange fortightness has been entirely unsatisfactory. Supplemental operations ofthe past have been equally unsatisfactory in preventing or minimizingsifting and have but added to operations and to cost.

An important aspect of the present invention concerns the relativediameters of the inner and outer rings or walls provided for the baseand drum respectively.

An important related feature of the present invention resides inproviding an inner drum ring or flange of appreciably smaller outerdiameter than the internal diameter of the outer base- `ring, thusallowing a loose fit between the rings notwithstanding variation ofmoisture content or thickness of stock material, so that free entry ofone ring into the other is readily permitted under all conditions, aspace being thus always provided between the two rings in theirtelescopic relationto each other. The importance of this will becomemanifest from the following considerations:

In accordance with one method often used in modern high speed automaticbox machines, these rings are formed by coiling or winding relativelystill, thin paper stock on rotating mandrels having fixed diameters. Ithas been the common practice to depend upon the closeness or tightnessof the t of the outer diameter of the drum ring, or flange, against theinner diameter of the base ring, or flange, to hold the powder in thebox and to prevent sifting, i. e., escape of the finely dividedparticles out of the drum, and accumulation of substantial amounts inloose condition, on the top of the drum head and beneath the cover,especially before the Vcover is removed. It is a difference in diameterof but a few thousandths of an inch between the fit of the rings oranges on each other that may result in suilicient loosenessto siftpowder, or one that is so tight that these rings cannot be made totelescope. Drum rings or flanges are commonly made of two, three or moreply light weight paper,

and while on the whole they are relatively stiff,

they may have some flexibility, dependent on the paper stock and thenumber of plies employed. As has been explained, the margin of the head6 is folded down and a cover strip l may be applied. Accordingly, anypredetermined outside diameter of the drum ring is dependent on severalfactors including the thickness of the paper stock and of the glue whichmay be employed to hold the plies together and to secure the coverstrip. Assuming it to be the practice to purchase nine and one-halfIpoint card-middling stock from which to coil a four-ply drum ring, butsuch stock averages ten and one-half points in thickness instead of nineand one-half points, eight thousandths of an inch will be added to theouter diameter of the drum. And it is not uncommon to find even morevariatiomeight point to eleven point, affecting the outer diameter ofthe drum ring in paper stock of this small caliper. Not only is therethis unavoidable variation in thickness or caliper of the paper stockwhich will result in a non-telescoping drum-ring; there are alsovariations in thickness due to moisture content of the stock, itsthickness being one caliper when made and a different caliper whenassembled drum to base. By providing the drumring of appreciably smallerouter diameter than the internal diameter of the base ring and havingthe loose fit as hereinbefore stated, the objections dependent onvariations of stock-thickness for whatsoever reason are verysubstantially avoided and the production of siftless boxes at high speedon automatic machinery greatly promoted. This is especially so whentaken in conjunction with the featureof the invention which arrests theescape of powder notwithstanding the rings are of appreciably differentdiameter as aforesaid. As illustrated in the drawings, the drum ring 5is commonly formed of relatively stiff thin paper stock coiled in aplurality of plies, into ring formation, as shown in Fig. 5. Also it isto be understood that the ring or flange of the base may be constructedof a similarly coiled paper strip.

Another important aspectof the invention relates to adjusting orcompensating for the looseness of fit between the drum ring and theflange ring so as to avail of the improvements due to the loose vilt (asfor instance free entry of one ring into another; avoidance ofobjections on account of variation in caliper of stock, whether due tomoisture or to unavoidable variation in original stock material) andnevertheless to promote the anti-sift features of a non-sifting powderbox. To this end a means is provided which is disposed and adapted tobring the diameters of the base flange or ring and the drum flange orring to relative site producing a tight fit in the joint between/,thebase and drum. Initially this means may be mounted either on the base oron the drum, but it'ls preferablyv initially 'mounted on the drum.

According to one embodiment of the invention as shown by way of examplein Figs. 1 to 6, this compensating aspect of the invention includes abrous joint-packing or caulking ridge or bead Ill which is cooperable tojoin the flange walls' y or rings of the base and thedrum together and,in the embodiment illustrated lies between said rings and is in the formof a continuous circumferential bead or ring around the drum ring 5.This elevation or bead Ill is of narrow width relativeto that of the boxrings and is spaced` apart from the end I I of the drum. It ispreferably located close to the frangible head 6 of the drum andoverlies the fold thereof. It adds to the stiffness of the drum andhence tends to` hold the head 6 taut. When initially on the ,outer faceof the separate drum flange or the inner face of the separatebaseflange, it protrudes therefrom, and its protruding portion is curved `orconvexed outwardly in cross-section, as clearlyseen in Figs. 3 and 4.

The material of the ridge or bead I is relatively soft and readilycompressible and it is adapted to be altered in thickness by contactingwith the base flange or ring under the force of seating the drum ring inits operable position in the base ring o r flange. In the operation oftelescoping the anges 2 and 5, the bead or ridge I0 is carried by oneflange into such position that the other ange, forced to telescopicrelation with the flange carrying the bead I0, will cause said beadtightly to pack or caulk the space between said flanges.

The ridge I Il forms an exterior layer on the box part, rising Very-slightly above the surface thereof, or somewhat more than half themaximum Variation between the outer diameter of the drum flange and theinner diameter of the base flange.

According to the embodiment o f the invention as shown in Figs. 1 to 6the caulking bead or ridge I0 includes alstring or cord I2 which may beof some fibrous material, such as cotton, hemp, jute, linen or the like.It may, for example, be a cotton twine string, and is yieldable toconform to the space available to receive the same between the ywalls ofthe drum and base. 'I'his space, as already described, will varysomewhat under varying conditions of manufacture, but the base and drumare constructed so that there will always be an appreciable space underall varying conditions, whereby the drum and base will telescopelloosely with each other. Whether placed on the drum flange or upon thebase flange, the caulking string I2 extends con- 1 tinuously throughoutthe extent of the flange of the body part and is attached in position onthe surfac-e thereof. vIn the embodimentshown in Figs. l to 6 the coverstrip vI overlies the string holding the latter in position and formingthe complete bead I0. There may be a single strand,

' as shown, or in some cases there may be a multiple strand, thati`s,'theV string may extend more than once around the surface of the boxpart.

The ends of the string' may be attached in any appropriate manner, as,vfo-r example, tapering the ends vand overlapping them. The overlapping,tapered ends may be attached together, as by an adhesive, such as wax-or glue, and if desired 'the string itself may be impregnated withwax,- or a-wax-likesubstance such as parafn. Also the caulking stringmay be provided in the form of an endless ring of sufficient diame eterto t snugly over the supporting surface. Also the ends of the string maybe made to abut with each other, or the end portions may overlap eachother to some extent', lying side by side. In any case, the caulkingstring may be attached in position either by adhesive of as shown inFig. 8 by means ofa binding strip I3, of paper or similar material,overlying the string and secured by an adhesive to the surface of thebox part. Such an attaching medium holds the caulking bead or string inits correct position upon the box part, holds the ends of the string incorrectly adjusted position to avoid bulges and irregularities, and iseasily applied. The fibrous caulking string may be in the formv of acord having several strands twisted together, as indicated at I4 inFig.- 9, or the fibres may be untwisted as shown at.| in Fig. 10.' Otheryielding materials maybe employed in theconstruction of this caulkingstring, such, for example, as resilient rubber.

After the paper rings are made, the interfitting driven into position,tightly packing 'the joint between the rings. The bead-or ridge I Illbeing spaced some distance back from the leading or .entering edgeII ofthe drum as described, it

will be seen that entry of the drum into telescopic relation with thebase is promoted and made very easy. Thus the leading end of the vdrumis entered into telescopic relation with the base before the bead I0enters into engagement with the base walls. This leading drum end beingsmall enough in diameter to enter the base very readily and freely canquickly be placed in entering position, whereupon it functions as aguide to aid in positioning the base and drum with reference to eachother during initial assembly thereof. After thus being placed ininitial engaging position, the base and drum are forced together and astelescopic movement continues the bead or ridge enters and engagesbetween the wallsand reaches its final or home position at the same timethat the drum does. these improved features the box parts may beassembled. much more rapidly than heretofore and jamming and `imperfectaligning of the parts during assembly with consequent damage theretoareeifectually avoided, resulting in a saving of labor and material andthe production of a more nearly perfect box. Whether the conforming'ridge or bead I0 is placed on the drum flange or on the base flange, itextends continuously and uninterruptedly over the surface, thus' formingan endless or annular conforming bead.

In Vbases having non-flaring open ends, the diameter of the ridge I0 onthe drum ring should be slightly larger than that o-f the open end ofthe base ring so as to be compressed when forced By virtue of past theedge of said openend; so that tight interfltting of the ring Il) inthejoint is eifected.

lthere will be a wedging action as the bead enters the space between thebase and drum rings. This wedglng action results in a slight' forcing ofthe ring walls away from each other against the resiliency thereof thusresulting in placing a permanent yielding pressure on the caulking beadto make a permanently tight sift-proof joint.

It is to be understood that the boxes need not be round as illustrated,but may be oval or polygonal or of any shape appropriate for embodyingthe invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the terms .ring,fiange, etc., herein employed cover and comprehend similar walls for boxparts whether they are oval, circular, square, hexagonal, or of othershapes.

It is to be understood that the packing or caulking bead In may in someinstances be applied to the base flange instead of to the drum flange,or each of these parts may have an individual bead. The bead applied tothe drum is more practical, however, and is to be preferred. It is alsoto be understood that, whereas a coiled or multiply flange isillustrated, the invention is available for flanges of single plyformation. Thin paper stock is preferred for the material of theflanges, but it is to be understood that the invention is available forboxes or box-anges made of other materials, as pasteboard, card middlestock, and the like; Also in some instances the conforming ring or' beadl0 is colored in contrast to the color of the flange to which lt isapplied, thus enabling its structure and arrangement to be more readilyobserved, and any defects noted and remedied.

In the embodiment of Fig. 11 the caulking bead Illa is constructedsimilarly to the bead I0 of Fig. 6, but is positioned upon the innersurface of the cover element B engaging with the flange of the baseelement A so as to caulk the space between these two elements.

In Fig. 12 the box structure is somewhat different from that previouslydescribed, the base element A having the compartment for receiving thepowder and having a wall or flange 2b upon the outer surface of whichthe caulking bead Ib is mounted. This caulking bead is constructed andarranged substantially as described above in connection with Figs. 1 to6. The drum has a wall or ange 5b positioned outside of the flange 2band also has a frangible head 6b attached to. Ethe ange 5b and overlyingthe top of the base flange 2b and the powder compartment.

In the embodiments of Figs. 13 and 14, the box structure is similarrespectively to that of Figs. 6 and 3. In Figs. 13 and 15 the caulkingbead or elevation Inc is formed by crimping or offsetting the plies ofthe drum wall 5c so as to provide a yieldable and conformable caulkingbead or corrugation extending entirely around the wall of the drum. Thiscaulking bead cooperates to close the space between the wall 5c of thedrum and wall 2c ofthe base, in the manner already described. In Fig.14, the caulking bead or corrugation |011 is formed by crimping the wall9d so as to cooperate with the wall 2d, the construction of the caulkingbead being otherwise similar to that of Fig. 13. The structure of Fig.16 is similar to that of Fig. 13, but the caulking bead Ille isconstructed by crimping the wall 2c of the base section A. 'I'hecaulking corrugation |00, 10d, or IlleV is sufficiently thin to haveyielding resiliency and will yield slightly when pressed against theopposing Wall. an exaggerated thickness for convenience of disclosure.

In all of the different embodiments of the in- The drawings show Avention, the caulking bead is yieldable and readily conformable to fillthe space between the adjacent telescoping walls so as to effectuallyclose this space against sifting of the powder and to maintain the baseand drum in the correctly assembled relation in which they have beenplaced. This is true whether the caulking bead is constructed of afibrous material, or is formed by crimping the wall of the box part. Itis advantageous in some cases, especially in larger size boxes, tosuperpose a wax bead or a bead of waxlike material, upon the string typeof bead such as shown either with or without the retaining strip 1. Inthis manner the string is embedded in the wax bead which is preferablycontinuous as in Figs. 1 to 6. Although it is preferred in all of thedifferent embodiments of the invention, to omit all adhesive at place ofcontact of the caulking bead or ridge with the opposing wall surface,yet when desired an adhesive may there be used. Where wax, or wax-likematerial is used in connection with the caulking bead, the quality maybe selected so as to avoid adhesion at normal or ordinary roomtemperatures, but if desired an adhesive could be used with this type ofbead or a softer wax employed. Also in each case as above described thecaulking bead presents a surface rounded or convexed outwardly away fromthe surface to which it is attached, thus facilitating entry of thecaulking bead into the space between the adjacent telescoping walls whenthe box parts are moved into telescopic engagement with each other. Itwill be clear furthermore that the bead or ridge in each of thedifferent embodiments is preferably positioned so as not to enter intothe space between the walls until after the box parts have beeninitially entered into telescopic engage.. ment, thus providing theinitial assembling guiding functions above described. Also in each ofthe different embodiments, the caulking bead is tapered at its enteringor forwardly directed edge so as to provide a wedge-like constructionhaving a wedging function when the parts are moved into telescopicengagement, thus forcing the walls away from each other slightly inopposition to the resiliency of the walls. This relation, as abovedescribed, places a permanent yielding pressure upon the caulking beadto make a sift-proof joint which is permanent. Also by virtue of thispressure of the parts upon the ridge or bead, said parts are maintainedin assembled relation by frictional engagement.

In any of the different embodiments of the invention, the space betweenthe telescoping base and drum flanges may as described be regulated soas to be always of appreciable extent and greater than the manufacturingvariation resulting from such variables as quality and thickness ofstock, moisture conditions, etc., as above mentioned. Also the caulkingbead, no matter what its type or specific structure, may always be madeof sufficient thickness to be greater than this space under all normallyvariant conditions. This provides for the yielding or conformingcaulking action with the box parts moved into telescopic engagement witheach other. The wedging sealing action between the box parts could alsobe accomplished or accentuated by providing a flaring structure in thewall part at the edge thereof where the caulking bead enters. It is alsoto be understood that, in some aspects of the invention, the shape ofthe caulking or packing may vary from continuous ring form, an importantfeature being to close the joint between the vbase and -drum regardlessv'of the shape of packing required to do so.

It has been mentioned above that an adhesive may or may n ot be appliedto bind the telescoping vwalls of the box parts together. However, it isparticularly advantageouslunder some conditions where a very tightanti-sift seal is desired, to employ an adhesive substance such aspaste, glue, etc., or a plastic non-adhesive substance, between thetelescoping walls of the box parts. When such an adhesive or plasticsubstance is employed, it is preferable to apply it to the telescopicsurface of one of the companion telescoping walls. If the caulking beadis employed such as the bead I0, etc., above described, the adhesive orplastic substance will be applied to the surface of the telescoping wallpositioned opposite to the bead, land it will be applied throughout theperipheral extent of said wall. The adhesive or plastic substance willfunction to form a tight seal and may be applied either at the factorywhere the box is made or at the time of lling the box with powder.

In case the sealing substance is applied considerable time before thebox parts are assembled, heat may be applied just prior to iilling andassembling thebox parts, so as to render the substance readily plastic.

When the box parts thus treated are moved into telescopic 4engagementwith each other, the caulking bead,`as soon as it enters into contactwith the opposing telescoping surface, will cause the adhesive orplastic substance to `be scraped up into a ridge in front of theadvancing caulkving bead, and said ridge will contact both with the beadand with the opposite telescoping wall to form a sealing ridge which isvery effective in providing a tightly sealed joint between the two boxparts. Such asealing ridge is shown in transverse section at 20 in Fig.3 in contacting be noted that this sealing ridge will extend throughoutthe periphery of the telescoping walls .inasmuch as the adhesive orplastic substance has been applied entirely around the surface of thetelescoping wall. In this manner the space or interstice or crackbetween the two telescoping wallsis effectively sealed throughout itsextent Y and the anti-sift qualities of the box are materially enhanced.The movement of the bead over the adhesive or sealing material not onlycauses the material to be formed into a ridge in front of the bead butalso causes'said material to be forced into all of the minuteinterstices between the telescoping walls; in this manner an effectiveanti-sift seal is formed. It is obvious that this improved sealedarrangement may be utilized in connection with any of the differentforms of y, anti-sift boxes above described or their equivalents.Furthermore, different forms of caulking l application, semi No. 47,139,med october 2a,

i u' 1935. Patent No. 2,051,293, med october 13,

sealinglrelation with the sealing bead i0. It willv 1936. Therefore, asto the common subject matter, the present application is a continuationy parts adapted to telescope with each other; ap-.

plying a sealing material to the telescopic surface of one of said boxparts; and entering the box parts into telescoping relation with eachother and at the same time scraping the sealing material into a sealingridge contacting in sealing relation with both of the telescoping boxparts.

2. The method of making and assembling an anti-sift box which includes:providing two box parts adapted to telescope with each other; forming acaulking bead on one of the telescopic surfaces of said box parts;applying a sealing material to a telescopic surface of one of said boxparts; and entering the box part into telescoping relation with eachother and at the same time scraping the sealing material before saidcaulking bead to form a sealing ridge contacting in sealing relationwith said bead.

3. The method of making and assembling a paper powder box having a basesection and a `powder-containing drum with a frangible head and oppositeopen end, which includes: making the resilient paper walls of the basesection and ,of the powder-containing drum for telescopic engagementwith each other with the outer diameter of the inner telescopic -wallsuiiiciently less than the inner diameter of the outer telescopic wallso thatl said walls will telescope with enough space therebetween toprovide for loose, easy entry of one into the other; forming a caulkingbead slightly thicker than the -space between-'said walls and extendingaround the telescopically engaging surface of one of said walls;applying a sealing material to the surface of one of said walls;entering the end of one of said walls intov telescoping relation withthe other wall and utilizing the. loosely engaging parts thereof toguide the drum and base intov ing moved into fully telescoped relationwith y each other, entering the bead into engagement with the companionwall and scraping the sealing material before said caulking bead to forma sealing ridge contacting in sealing relation with ALEXANDER H. DREUX.JOSEPH N. ROYAL.

-said bead.

